With the strength of the current housing market growing every day and more Americans returning to work, a faster-than-expected recovery in the housing sector is already well underway. Regardless, many are still asking the question: will we see a wave of foreclosures as a result of the current crisis? Thankfully, research shows the number of foreclosures is expected to be much lower than what this country experienced during the last recession. Here’s why.
 
According to Black Knight Inc., the number of those in active forbearance has been leveling-off over the past month (see graph below):Black Knight Inc. also notes, of the original 4,208,000 families granted forbearance, only 2,588,000 of these homeowners got an extension. Many homeowners have once again started to pay their mortgages, paid off their homes, or never went delinquent on their payments in the first place. They may have applied for forbearance ou. ...

A recent study from HarrisX shows the current health crisis isn’t slowing down today’s homebuyers.
Many buyers are accelerating their timelines to take advantage of low mortgage rates, and staying home has enabled some to save more money to put toward a down payment.
Let’s connect today if your needs have recently changed and you’re ready to make a move this year.

Where Is the Housing Market Headed for the Rest of 2020?



o   The housing market is forecasted to finish the year with growing strength.
o   Historically low mortgage rates are creating great potential for homebuyers, and home sales are on the rise.
o   If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home this year, let’s connect to maximize your opportunity today.

So far, it’s been quite a ride this year, and our nation has truly seen its fair share of hurdles. From COVID-19 to record unemployment and then the resulting recession, just to name a few, the second quarter of 2020 has had more than a few challenges. Amidst the many roadblocks, however, the U.S. homeownership rate rose again, signaling great strength in the recovery of the housing market and an indication that even in a time of crisis, Americans still feel confident about buying a home.
Yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced:
“The homeownership rate of 67.9 percent was 3.8 percentage points higher than the rate in the second quarter 2019 (64.1 percent) and 2.6 percentage points higher than the rate in the first quarter 2020 (65.3 percent).”
The increase is also represented by race and ethnicity of the householder:There are many reasons why the homeownership rate in this country is rising, and one of the key factors is historically-low mortgage rate. ...

Some Highlights
Real estate has outranked stocks, savings accounts, and gold as the best long-term investment among Americans for the past 7 years.
The belief in the stability of housing as a long-term investment remains strong, despite the many challenges our economy faces today.
Of the four listed, real estate is also the only investment you can also live in. That’s a big win!